THE Pahang Forestry Department has posted a public notice calling for claimants to the logs that were washed down Sungai Telemong, destroying homes and roads in the area.

This is despite its denial that logging was the cause of the massive floods following continuous rain over the December 18-19 weekend. Massive flooding also occurred in the nearby towns of Bentong and Karak, and in many other states as well as the Klang Valley.

Pahang Forestry Department director Mohd Hizamri Mohd Yasin said the department is obliged by law to post the notice, which is at the Sri Telemong Bridge, as well as at Sungai Perdak and Sungai Temeriak.

“This is to assess the value of the wood before disposal and this is done in line with the law. It is not just for wood that has been logged,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“It is also to clean up the area to prevent further impact if there is a second flood.”

He said the notice was posted by the Bentong Forestry District Office under the National Forestry Act 1984 pertaining to the disposal of timber.

The notice invites parties wishing to claim ownership of the logs to do so before or on January 11, 2022.

“If there is a claim, the claimant must submit proof of ownership of the wood to the department,” he said.

If no claim is made, the state authorities will take possession of the timber for disposal, according to section 79 of the same act. Disposal may be done through auction, burial or incineration, among other methods.

“This procedure must be followed, even though we know this is not wood from logging activities,” Hizamri said.

Asked who should bear responsibility for the destruction caused by the logs, he said he could not say.

“I can’t answer this question. I’m sorry. But we will cooperate to help if needed,” he said.

But he added that flood victims, whose properties have been destroyed by the logs, can file claims for compensation if they can prove the ownership of the logs.

“Compensation can be claimed from the developer of the land that was cleared if there is proof,” he said.

A huge volume of mud and timber had washed down onto areas in Bentong and Karak and many photos of destroyed homes and piles of logs are being shared widely on social media, with people urging the forestry department to investigate thoroughly.

Mud, timber and boulders also washed down onto a eco farm resort in Bentong, destroying chalets and killing several people. Among them were six-year-old boy, Emmanuel Chang, who was holidaying with his family, and 66-year-old Yap Koon Lam, the wife of the resort owner, who is missing.

The department was panned on social media for its recent statement denying any logging activity as the cause of the mudflow and log-slides.

The department, in a Facebook post yesterday, sought to address public anger with close-up photos of some driftwood to prove its contention that the timber was not logged but had been washed down by a water surge.

It said there was no evidence of chainsaw marks and that logs had been snapped by the force of the water rather than sawn. Those which bore chainsaw marks were those that had to be cut into smaller pieces by contractors for removal. – December 31, 2021.